1. Field of the invention
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for automatic sending of an E-mail and an automatic sending program supplying medium, used in exchanging an E-mail between computer terminals of, for example, personal computers over a communication network,
2. Description of Related Art
As a configuration of utilizing the Internet, providing a global-scale communication network environment capable of exchanging the information between mutually spaced-apart computers, an electronic mail (E-mail) is in widespread use.
In an Internet E-mail system, mail servers are provided in a distributed fashion in each domain. The client user sends or receives an E-mail to or from a mail server of the domain to which he or she belongs.
That is, a sender states the contents he or she desires to send and accords a required address and name by a client tool for an E-mail termed a mailer (software for sending/receiving the mail) for sending the mail to the receiver.
The mail server of a domain to which the sender belongs sends the mail for transmission to a representative mail server of an organization. The representative mail server accords an address of the server/node to be arrived at next to send the address to the network, which then refers to the address to sequentially transfer the mail to the mail server to which belongs the counterpart of the communication (receiver).
The receiver recognizes the arrival of the E-mail in his or her post by various means such as display of a notice of arrival on starting the mailer so that he or she can read the sent mail.
For delivery of the E-mail, the simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP), which is the upper-order protocol of the transmission control/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), is used as the communication protocol. Usually, the format is automatically formulated by the mailer. To the leading end of the main text of the mail is appended a header made up of rows stating a date [Date:], a name of mail sender [From:], an address [To:], a title [Subject:] or a carbon copy (blind carbon copy) [Bcc:], in accordance with SMTP.
Although the E-mail system of the Internet is based on the text (letter information: character codes), an extension format, configured for enabling handling of languages other than English or multimedia such as pictures or speech, is also defined as multi-purpose Internet mail extension (MIME). That is, still-picture information, moving picture information or speech information is compressed and converted to character codes which are assembled in the MIME system into the text and sent in this form. The receiver side automatically interprets the MIME system to check the form in which the information is assembled into the text to start a viewer/player tool for displaying/reproducing the information.
Such an E-mail system in which the picture information is annexed to the E-mail for enabling sending/reception of the E-mail made up of co-existing pictures and letters is known from the Japanese Laying-open Patent Application JP-A-5-274233 assigned to the assignee of the present application. With this E-mail system, a terminal keyboard or mouse is operated for drawing or writing main text and a picture on a letter pad displayed on a CRT and the keyboard or the mouse is further operated for issuing a sending command for an E-mail. It is then judged whether the name of the receiver is stated on an uppermost row of the text. If the receiver name is judged to be entered, an E-mail header made up of the receiver""s name, sender""s name and the current data is formulated. It is then checked whether a picture is drawn on the letter pad. If the picture is found to have been drawn, the picture information data made up of the page information stating the page of the letter pad having the picture, the position information specifying the position of the picture and the picture title is formulated and appended to the E-mail header. The main text is then appended and sent as the E-mail.
Although the above-described E-mail system is highly convenient if one is accustomed to it, the system is unfriendly to a user sending or receiving the E-mail for the first time using a personal computer, because the system is significantly different from the usual letter or mail delivery system customarily used in everyday life. That is, the E-mail system can be utilized only after the user has learned and fully understood the operating method for the mailer as the E-mail exchanging software with the aid of a manual.
Recently, a set-top box, termed an Internet terminal, having assembled therein the Internet accessing function, is on the market, such that a user not in possession of a personal computer can easily utilize the Internet services by connecting the Internet terminal to the television receiver in his or her home. However, the mailer operating method cannot be intuitively understood even by this Internet terminal user.
As the graphic user interface (GUI) which takes user-friendliness into account, there is known a desk top metaphor picture imitating the desk top which is implemented by the operating system termed a Magic Cap(copyright) developed by General Magic Inc. FIG. 1 shows a typical display of the GUI picture of Magic Cap. This GUI picture images the metaphor of the every-day tools or daily life environment using a desk top picture 300 simulating a study. On this desk top picture 300 are displayed a timepiece 301 showing the current time, an in-box 302 showing the number of received E-mails, an out-box 303 showing the number of E-mails already sent and a file cabinet 304 for keeping files. In addition, a telephone 305, an address book 306, a postcard 307 for formulating a message sent by the E-mail, a notebook 308, and a schedule memorandum 309, are displayed as being put on a desk fitted with a drawer so that these can be actuated by a pen touch.
However, although an image simulating an actual postcard is displayed in the GUI picture by Magic Cap, the process of receiving and delivering the postcard 307 or the process of arrival of the postcard from another user is not displayed, such that the user cannot intuitively comprehend the delivery process. That is, the user cannot surmise the process or the exchanging method of the E-mails or the operating method from the customary letter delivery system.
Meanwhile, there is disclosed in the Japanese laying-laid-open Patent Application JP-A-3-222033, corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,347,628, a technique concerning GUI which enables intuitive accessing to electronic data of a desk top metaphor picture simulating a room by a moving-picture-like icon, as an interface for a data processing device, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for automatic sending of an E-mail and an automatic sending program supplying medium, according to which not only a user can entrust his or her mail to a pet as an agent acting on his or her behalf to enable facilitated sending/reception of the E-mail by an intuitively comprehensible operation under utilization of the real-world-oriented GUI, but also the user or client can use the agent with a friendly feeling.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for automatic sending of an E-mail and an automatic sending program supplying medium, according to which the function of the agent can be terminated at a time when the user has lost interest in the contents of the E-mail voluntarily sent by the agent and this effect can be intimated to the user or his or her counterpart by an E-mail addressed to the user or to his or her counterpart.
In a method and apparatus for automatic sending of an E-mail and an automatic sending program supplying medium, according to the present invention, agent parameters controlling the behaviour of an agent delivering an E-mail are appended to the main mail text, having an appended mail header, responsive to a send command designating the sending of the E-mail, for sending to a counterpart of E-mailing of a user. The agent parameters are modified responsive to the contents of experiences reflecting the operating hysteresis for the agent. An E-mail of a pre-set illustrative sentence is sent by the agent to the user based on the agent parameters. Thus, the user (client) can send an E-mail by an intuitively comprehensible simple operation by the agent acting on his or her behalf by exploiting the real-world-oriented GUI, while the user (client) can use the agent with an amicable feeling for the agent.
In an alternative method and apparatus for automatic sending of an E-mail and an automatic sending program supplying medium,
according to the present invention, agent parameters controlling the behaviour of an agent delivering an E-mail are appended to the main mail text, having an appended mail header, responsive to a send command designating the sending of the E-mail, for sending to a counterpart of E-mailing of a user. The agent parameters are modified responsive to the contents of experiences reflecting the agent""s operating hysteresis. An E-mail of a pre-set illustrative sentence is sent by the agent to a counterpart of E-mailing of the user based on the agent parameters. Thus, the user (client) can send an E-mail by an intuitively comprehensible simple operation by the agent acting on his or her behalf by exploiting the real-world-oriented GUI, while the counterpart of E-mailing of the user can respond to the mail with an amicable feeling for the agent, thus assuring mail exchange with a friendly feeling.
In a still alternative method and apparatus for automatic sending of an E-mail and an automatic sending program supplying medium, according to the present invention, agent parameters controlling the behaviour of an agent delivering an E-mail are appended to the main mail text, having an appended mail header, responsive to a sending command designating the sending of the E-mail, for sending to a counterpart of E-mailing of a user. The agent parameters are modified responsive to the contents of experiences reflecting the operating hysteresis for the agent. An E-mail of a pre-set illustrative sentence is sent by the agent to the user or to a counterpart of E-mailing of the user based on the agent parameters. Thus, both the sender and the receiver of the E-mail can have a common consciousness of keeping electronic pets, thus assuring mail exchange with a friendly feeling.
According to the present invention, the process of exchanging an E-mail is represented as an agent behaviour simulating the letter dispatching and delivery in everyday life, thus enabling the function or the operating procedure to be surmised easily such that even a beginner can learn and utilize the E-mailing easily. By the sending side sending agent data updated responsive to the experiences of the electronic pet as annexed papers to the E-mail, and by the receiving side automatically returning only pet data, the E-mail can be sent or received with animated display as though the pet were going in and out on a GUI picture simulating the insides of both the sender""s room and the receiver""s room. In addition, the electronic pet, displayed by animation, can be virtually kept. That is, by updating the agent data determining the character or the behaviour of the pet responsive to the mouse actuation by the user, such as caressing or serving refreshments, and by varying the pet behaviour responsive to the keeping environment, the electronic pet, displayed by animation, can be virtually kept. In addition, the electronic pet can select one of the pre-set illustrative sentences in keeping with the agent data to send the selected sentence as an E-mail to the user or to his or her E-mailing counterpart.
By exchanging the E-mail by the electronic pet virtually kept on the GUI picture simulating the insides of both the sender""s room and the receiver""s room, both the sender and the receiver can have a common consciousness of keeping pets, thus assuring E-mailing amicable feeling.
Moreover, by having agent picture data on both the user""s computer and the receiver""s computer, and by actually sending agent parameters controlling the agent""s behaviour, the result as if the picture data of the agent were being sent is realized. By sending the agent parameters instead of the picture data, the user connection time can be reduced, such that, for a dial-up user, the Internet connection charges and telephone charges can be reduced. Moreover, the use of resources of the Internet in their entirety can also be reduced because a smaller volume of exchanged data suffices.